Concerns about change and employee wellbeing: the moderating role of social support

Purpose – Concerns about change, a measure of the perception about future losses owing to organizational change, have received scarce attention within the organizational change literature. This study aims to address some relevant questions still unexplored regarding, the relationship between concerns about change and employees’ burnout and work engagement. Moreover, it evaluates the buffering role of social support namely, that of colleagues and superiors, during the anticipation stage of an organizational change process. Design/methodology/approach – Six hundred and thirty-two employees of an administrative public sector filled out a self-reporting questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using hierarchical moderated regression to show direct and moderating effects. Findings – Results suggest that concerns about change, measured during the anticipation stage of an organizational change process, relate to higher burnout and lower work engagement. Social support significantly affects the relationship between concerns and outcomes. Originality/value – Overall, the study shows the role exerted from concerns about change in affecting employees’ wellbeing as the early stage of the organizational change process, providing scholars and practitioners in human resources management with new insight regarding the importance of support from colleagues and supervisor to sustain successful change implementation and employees’ wellbeing.